Ipomoea Hederacea (Ivy-Leaved Morning Glory) & Ipomoea Indica (Blue Dawn Flower) 琉球朝顔とアメリカアサガオ

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These are morning glories. The smaller pale blue ones are ipomoea hederacea or more commonly ivy-leaved morning glory and the larger purple ones are ipomoea indica or commonly blue dawn flower. Both morning glories are in the same place, making me realize that they're both pretty but in a different way.   

In Japanese, ivy-leaved morning glory is called "American morning glory" and blue dawn flower "Ryukyu morning glory." Ryukyu is the name of the place currently called "Okinawa" prefecture, which accounts for only 0.6% of total land area in Japan but has 70% of US military bases and facilities in Japan. This is unfair, a terrible legacy of WW2 and the result of ongoing discrimination against Okinawans. Okinawa and the US both mean a lot to me. Naturally I love both morning glories.

　

Ipomoea hederacea or ivy-leaved morning glory アメリカアサガオ 

Netsuke "Ghost With Flowing" 根付「髪の長い幽霊」

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This 10 cm sculpture, a netsuke titled "Ghost with Flowing," was on display at the Tokyo National Museum this past March. Carved by Michael Birch from ivory and rhinoceros horn, it represents a traditional Japanese art form. A netsuke is a small, carved ornament—typically made of wood or ivory—used as a toggle to attach articles to the sash of a kimono. (Source: Lexico)

In Japan, ghosts are believed to be the spirits of the deceased who cannot pass on to heaven or hell due to powerful anger or grudges. They are said to wander the living world, seeking to curse their targets to death. Historically, the Japanese people strongly believed in the power of these spirits, and Michizane Sugawara (845–903) is a famous example. Michizane was a scholar, poet, and politician during the Heian period. After being accused of favoring a rival prince over the crown prince for the imperial throne, he was demoted to a minor official post in a remote region. Banished alongside his entire family, he eventually died in exile.

Michizane's anger is said to have been so intense that after his death, plagues and droughts struck the land, and his political enemies died one after another. The sheer depth of his rage is vividly captured in the Noh mask Ootobide (Large Tobide).

Thinking about this made me realize who I would be that angry with. If I were infected with COVID-19, got seriously ill, and died because I couldn't get hospital treatment, I would become a ghost. I wouldn't curse them, but I would scare to death the politicians who fail to act, as well as the supporters who complain about the status quo but do nothing to change it.

You may wonder why I'm so worried about not getting hospital treatment when Japan has so few COVID-19 cases (for example, 3,177 new positive cases on July 28). However, the Japanese healthcare system has effectively collapsed due to a drastic reduction in hospital beds in recent years. As a result, many patients are currently being left at home without receiving any medical care.

If you love netsuke, check out the list to see more than 40 pieces! 

"Ghost with flowing," Michael Birch「髪の長い幽霊」マイケル・バーチ

Noh Mask 'Ootobide' 能面「大飛出」

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This is a noh mask "Ootobide" on show at the Tokyo National Museum. The mask, made in the 17th or 18th century, has a terrifying expression and is used for the roles of deities, such as the God of Thunder.

Netsuke "Hibernation" 根付「冬眠」

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This 3 cm sculpture is a netsuke titled 'Hibernation,' on view at the Tokyo National Museum this March. It was carved from stag antler by Godo Abe.

A netsuke is a small carved ornament, especially of ivory or wood, worn as part of Japanese traditional dress as a toggle by which an article may be attached to the sash of a kimono. (Source: Lexico)

This netsuke consists of two skulls: one is ordinary, while the other is upside down, revealing the brain inside. Does this mean the brain is resting, similar to animals in hibernation? I’ve thought about this for a while but haven't found the answer. I’d love to ask the sculptor what this upside-down skull truly signifies.

If you love netsuke, check out the posts below the photos!

"Hibernation," Godo Abe, stag antler 「冬眠」阿部悟堂 鹿角

Netsuke "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons" 百鬼夜行木彫根付

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This 3 cm wooden sculpture is a netsuke in the shape of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. It was carved by Jugyoku in the 19th century, and was on show at the Tokyo National Museum this March.

In Japan, it's said that a horde of demons and supernatural creatures parade at midnight. This creature must be one of them, though to me, it looks just like a rakugoka performing on a koza stage.

Rakugo is a traditional Japanese art of storytelling. Because many of the stories are set in the Edo period, you can learn about Japanese traditions from that era by listening to it. If you live in Japan and want to learn Japanese by watching TV shows, try 'Shōten,' a 30-minute program that airs at 5:30 p.m. every Sunday, in which rakugo performers do ōgiri—improvising funny answers to questions on the spot. Rakugo helps you learn not only the Japanese language but also the sense of humor of Japanese people.

If you love netsuke, check out the post below the photos!

Netsuke in shape of night parade of one hundred demons 百鬼夜行木彫根付

Hibiscus Hamabo 浜朴（ハマボウ）

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This is hibiscus hamabo. The yellow and red contrast is so vivid!! 

Hibiscuses are now in full bloom across Japan, but they're so diverse in the color and flower size that hibiscus hamabo is completely different from hibiscus moscheutos (swamp rose-mallow) I wrote about several days ago. Hibiscus hamabo is bright lemon yellow and the flowers I saw were all less than 10 cm in diameter while swamp rose-mallow is pink or red, and HUGE like an electric fan😆!! 

You would imagine nothing sad about such beautiful flowers. I didn't either until I learned that hibiscus hamabo is on the verge of extinction or already extinct in some prefectures in Japan. The flower is so bright, but now I can't see hibiscus hamabo without feeling "mono no aware" or a "sense of ephemerality." 

Hibiscus hamabo 浜朴

Netsuke "Gourd Cutter" 瓢切木彫根付

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Do you know what the man (or boy) is doing? This 3 cm wooden sculpture at the Tokyo National Museum is a netsuke in the shape of a gourd cutter. So, the man is cutting a gourd!

But that's not what I like about the netsuke. I love it for the contrast between its very serious look and the chubbiness of its tummy and the gourd!

Gourds are one of the most popular cooking ingredients in Japan. Bitter gourds are stir-fried with pork and other vegetables, sponge gourds are used for pickles, and wax gourds are made into soup. In addition, Naoya Shiga, a Japanese fiction writer, wrote "Seibei and the Gourds," a story about a boy who loves bottle gourds so much that he collects them to make containers that can sell for high prices. It is one of my favorite Japanese fictional stories! Various types of gourds are available during the summer in Japan, and I look forward to eating them all soon! If you love netsuke, be sure to check out the posts below the photos!

Netsuke in shape of gourd cutter by Miwa (wood), 18th century 瓢切木彫根付（三輪作）

Netsuke "Hagoromo" 根付「羽衣」

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This woman performing a Noh Mai dance is a netsuke titled 'Hagoromo,' created by Isshu Kishi and currently on display at the Tokyo National Museum. Hagoromo is a Noh play, and according to Wikipedia, its plot is as follows:

A fisherman is walking with his companions at night when he finds the Hagoromo, the magical feather-mantle of a tennin (an aerial spirit or celestial dancer) hanging on a bough. The tennin sees him taking it and demands its return because she cannot return to Heaven without it. The fisherman argues with her, and finally promises to return it, if she will show him her dance or part of it..... (Wikipedia)

I saw several Noh plays a long time ago, but I couldn't enjoy them much because the lines are spoken in classical Japanese, which I don't understand. Without Kyogen—the shorter, comic relief plays performed between the solemn Noh acts—I'd have been bored to death! If you ever get a chance to see Noh and Kyogen, don't forget to read the plot in advance.

If you love netsuke, check out the posts below the photos!  

"Hagoromo," Isshu Kishi 「羽衣」岸一舟

Solanum Nigrum (Black Nightshade) 犬酸漿（イヌホオズキ）

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These are photos of the flowers and fruits of solanum nigrum or black nightshade. I once wrote about the flowers, but didn't know at that time that the plant has such beautiful green and black fruits!!

Black nightshade is called "Dog bladder cherry" in Japan, which means "USELESS bladder cherry." Dogs are one of the most popular pet animals as well as cats, but in Japanese, the term "dog" means "useless" and "an informant." I looked up why, but didn't find any information....🐶🐕

Solanum nigrum 犬酸漿

Netsuke "Animal Trail" 根付「けものみち」

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This 3 cm netsuke sculpture, titled "Animal Trail," is on display at the Tokyo National Museum. It was carved from boxwood by Zanmai Onosato. The boar with a monkey on its back is so cute!

"Animal Trail" (or "Game Trail") is not only the title of this netsuke but also of a novel by Seicho Matsumoto, one of Japan's most popular crime authors. In the novel, the protagonist—a young woman living with her bedridden husband—ends up killing her husband and others, before ultimately being killed herself. The novel clearly compares her and the other characters to beasts, but that feels wrong or sarcastic, doesn't it? Animals are far better and smarter than humans!

Netsuke "Sneezing Man" 嚏木彫根付

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'Bless you!' I said to a 3 cm sculpture in the Tokyo National Museum. This is a netsuke in the shape of a sneezing figure, carved from wood by Miwa in the 18th century. At first, the man with the funny face didn't look like he was sneezing, but laughing to me. I learned he was sneezing by reading the label.

There's a saying in Japan that a sneeze means someone is gossiping about you. Originally, it was more specific: once means someone is badmouthing you, twice means they're making fun of you behind your back, three times means someone loves you, and four times means you're catching a cold. So, don't forget to count your sneezes from now on! 

If you love netsuke, check out the posts below the photos!

Netsuke in shape of sneezing figure by Miwa, wood (18th century) 嚏木彫根付（三輪作）

Ardisia Crenata (Christmas Berry) 万両（マンリョウ）

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When people in Japan talk about ardisia crenata, they usually talk about the fruit. An ardisia crenata tree with glossy red fruits is often used in tea ceremonies and as decorations for New Year days. So, I didn't know that the tree has such beautiful tiny white buds and flowers or that it has another name "Christmas berry." Ardisia crenata is perfect for not only New Year but Christmas🎍🎄!

Christmas berries are called "Manryo" in Japanese, meaning "ten thousand ryo" or a lot of money. "Ryo" is "Tael," a unit of weight and currency in Japan and other Asian countries in the early modern period. 

Maybe I should buy a Christmas berry tree for Christmas and New Year, and to increase my luck with money😁! 

Ardisia crenata 万両

Netsuke "The Poet Hitomaro" 人麻呂牙彫根付

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This 3 cm ivory netsuke depicts the poet Hitomaro. It was carved by Mitsuhiro in the 19th century and is currently on display at the Tokyo National Museum.

Hitomaro (Kakinomoto no Hitomaro) is a famous Japanese waka poet and aristocrat from the late Asuka period (592 - 710) . He is so famous that even I, someone unfamiliar with waka poetry, can recite one of his poems from memory:

Verbena Officinalis (Common Verbena) 熊葛（クマツヅラ）

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This is verbena officinalis or common verbena at Koishikawa Botanical Garden, Tokyo. I presumed that verbena was all groundcover, so this thin and tall one surprised me.   

Common verbena is called "Bear basket" or "Horse whip plant" in Japan. The latter "Horse whip plant" is after the plant's shape (easy to understand!), while the reason why it's called "Bear basket" is unknown.

These tiny "whips" were blowing in the wind. Looking at them made me forget about COVID-19 for a while.    

Verbena officinalis 熊葛

Hydrangea Changing from White to Blue, and Then Pale Green 白から青、そして薄緑に変わる紫陽花

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I love flowers for, among others, their color. So, the hydrangea, which has changed its color from white to blue, blue green, and then pale green like the photos below, caught my eye. Every flower changes their colors, but the color change of this hydrangea is so amazing that I've observed that for more than one month. 

If you love hydrangeas, read the following posts, too!

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Ayesha' (Popcorn hydrangea)

Hydrangea changing from pale green to white then to pale blue
Hydrangea blooming all year round (Hydrangea serrata var. yesoensis f. cuspidata cv.)

Purple and pink lacecap hydrangeas

Various lacecap hydrangeas

Pink mophead hydrangea

Kurenai lacecap hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata var. 'Kurenai')

Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)

Tea of heaven 'Mikata-yae' (blue Hydrangea serrata)

Nettle-leaved hydrangea (Hydrangea hirta)

White and whitish hydrangea

Annabelle hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle')

2021/7/3

Phryma Leptostachya (Lopseed) 蠅毒草（ハエドクソウ）

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This is phryma leptostachya or lopseed I saw in the Koishikawa Botanical Garden, Tokyo. The stem is so thin, the flower so tiny, and the color contrast between the white and the purple is so pretty! 

What surprised me was the plant's name in Japanese is "Haedoku so," which means "Fly poison plant," given after the fact that the whole plant is poisonous and the poison is used in flypaper. I get it, but it's so unfair, isn't it😩!

The bug was just sitting there この虫じっとしてました

Phryma leptostachya 蠅毒草